FBI: Houston man convicted for nationwide identity theft

BOSTON, MA—A Texas man was convicted late yesterday in federal court for his role in a scheme to steal credit cards from health club locker rooms and take more than $400,000 in cash advances at horse race tracks in at least 10 states.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Boston Field Division; Robert Bethel, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Steven D. Ricciardi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service; and Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, announced that 52-year-old DENNIS SAVARESE of Houston was convicted of conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and identity fraud.

SAVARESE conspired with at least four others, including JAMES DESIMONE, DONALD DESIMONE, JR., RICHARD REGNETTA, and ARTHUR RIZZO to steal credit cards from health club locker rooms all over the country and then use those cards to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. On a weekly basis, for more than two years, SAVARESE traveled around the country and broke into lockers at two different nationwide gyms. After SAVARESE stole the credit cards, he then transferred the names from the credit cards to one of his coconspirators in Massachusetts who purchased fake identifications with photos of SAVARESE or one of his coconspirators and the names from the stolen cards. Then, on weekends, SAVARESE met up with one or more of the other defendants at racetracks and casinos all over the country to use those stolen credit cards to take thousands of dollars in fraudulent cash advances. The remaining defendants have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing on similar charges.

Sentencing for SAVARESE is scheduled for April 27, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. SAVARESE faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge; on the aggravated identity theft charges he faces up to two years on each count; and up to 10 years on the identity theft fraud count.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation – New England Field Division, and the Boston Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam J. Bookbinder of Ortiz’s Computer Crime Unit and Sarah E. Walters of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.